10 Minute Refrigerator Pickles

     When we planted our garden a few months ago, we made sure to plant some pickle cucumbers because we wanted to make our own pickles.  We love pickles around here- the kids and Mark eat them almost every day.  We were all so excited when the baby cucumbers started showing up- and they looked just like tiny pickles.  So cute. Because all things are cute in miniature, right?

Well, I watched this cucumber grow until it became one of the big cukes down below!  

Actually, I am pretty sure it is the huge one in the back.   

Of course, you don't need to grow your own cucumbers. Just buy pickle cucumbers from the farmer's market or anywhere else you can find them.

After I tried these pickles, I'm never going back to store bought pickles.  These are fresh, crisp and crunchy and have a bright flavor.  Just yum.  It takes about ten minutes to put these together and about 24 hours of curing in the refrigerator before they are ready to enjoy.

Anyway, I spent a lot of time looking at recipes on Pinterest, 

and I finally decided to modify this recipe by Food In Jars.  

It was so easy to do!  I used an extra large pickle jar for spears, and a small jar to hold "hamburger-sized" slices of that one giant pickle.  

For all of that, I ended up using:

3 cups apple cider vinegar

3 cups filtered water

1 tablespoon Kosher salt

1/2 white onion, sliced

8 cloves of garlic

1/2 tablespoon Dill

So, basically, equal parts apple cider vinegar and water, depending on how many pickles you are making. 

Add about 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt per cup of apple cider you use and then

bring to a boil.

While the liquids were boiling, I washed and sliced the cucumbers.  I made some pickle slices and spears, which was perfect for us.  I also sliced half an onion and peeled about 8 cloves of garlic.  I layered the cucumbers, garlic and onions and packed them pretty tightly.  I put about a half of a tablespoon of dill in the large jar, and a teaspoon of dill in the little jar.

Then, pour the boiling liquid over the cucumbers, leaving about a 1/4 inch of space at the top.

Put the lids on and let cool on the counter.

The pickles need to cure for 24-48 hours. It takes about ten minutes to put this recipe together if you do everything while the liquids are boiling.They are not shelf stable and need to stay refrigerated.  They'll last about 30 days. It is so worth the effort, I just love the crispness these have!

We ate the large sliced ones next night and they were perfect. I served them with my pulled pork sandwiches  and oven baked fries. You can find the recipe here.  I love how I get to customize my pickles, right now to the size.  Growing our own food has been so great so far!